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Business leaders are full of bravado and confidence. While this sense of grandeur is great for closing sales and instilling trust in potential partners, it can be deadly to the business itself.

Executives who don’t consider their own shortcomings or anticipate the greater needs of the business are doomed to find themselves in situations where their pride sinks the ship. Here’s how you might step in your own mess – and how to avoid it.

1. You don’t realize your idea is a failure.

It’s hard to realize when your own idea might suck. What will people think when they see your idea failed? It’s natural to want to do everything you can to make it work. The Hula Burger was McDonald’s intended product for Catholics who couldn’t eat meat on Friday. It featured a slice of pineapple, rather than a beef patty. Very quickly, the chain realized this idea was a flop and went instead with the Filet-O-Fish, which has been extremely successful. Don’t force your pineapple burger just because you came up with it. Be real with yourself and your team; don’t let your pride get in the way of your next great idea.

2. You let your ego get out of control.

Confidence sells new business, helps form partnerships, and shows leadership, but it can also result in a pretty big ego. Set checkpoints to bring yourself back to reason. Grade yourself and ask peers you respect to grade your performance as well. Rand Fishkin, the CEO of SEOmoz, had one of his peers grade his performance; he then posted ways he could improve on his blog. Set processes in place to think about how you can be better at what you do – constantly focusing on improvement will keep your ego in check.

3. You become too scared to ask for help.

At some point in your life, you need to realize you’re not great at everything, but you can hire and work with people who are better at those tasks. You can also outsource with companies that are great at what they do. You could enlist external help for a minor design task, like 99designs, or your need may be major, requiring you to look at Chief Outsiders to fill your CMO role. No matter your need, don’t insist you do it yourself. Once you get things figured out, you can always look at bringing an area in-house, but it’s okay to ask for help in the meantime.

4. You make major decisions without consulting your team.

Business leaders have a tendency to jump into things because it’s simply in their nature. They tend to think that their decision-making trumps all, and asking for another opinion shows weakness. Before Stephen Fernands, the president and founder of Customized Energy Solutions, makes a major decision, he runs it by his team to make sure the right people are on board. It sounds simple, but it’s hard to remember to do this when you’re excited about an idea. There’s a reason you surround yourself with great people: They’re there to tell you you’re crazy when you think your business should start an airport kiosk sales station or buy from the next salesman peddling air.

5. You don’t know when it’s time to exit.

Whether you own the business or lead it, there’s always a right time to exit. Do you want to be Phil Jackson, leaving while things are still great, churning out championship rings, or do you want to exit when you’re barely in the game? Pride will keep you in longer, and it could lead to the demise of your company. Entrepreneurs have resources, like PlanForTheSale.com, which enable them to learn about exiting at the right time. If you don’t have ownership, prepare an exit plan and stick to it.

It’s easy to let your ego sink your ship – and it’s equally easy to see your business drown along with it. Remember to stay human as you lead your company toward the future – the people who will still be around then will be the ones who realized their strengths and their flaws.

John Hall is the CEO of Digital Talent Agents, an agency that specializes in helping companies, entrepreneurs and business leaders build their brands by getting quality content published from them in reputable online publications that reach their target markets. Connect with him on Twitter or Google+.